7 Tips To Help With Bedwetting

Bedwetting is a really common problem for a lot of children. In particular, children with autism can often suffer from these issues into their teens, or at least until the beginning of puberty.

Oh no, I hear you sigh! Yes, unfortunately, you may need to get used to wet beds and constantly washing and changing of sheets, for a while at least.

However, there are a few things you can do to try and help make things smoother and easier for everyone involved.

Tip 1. Provide a good bed-time routine

Having a routine which involves limiting drinks after dinner time, and going to the toilet as the last thing you do before getting into bed might help.

Tip 2. Invest in a mattress protector

There is nothing worse than having wet sheets and a wet mattress. Waterproof mattress protectors are the best. Easy to keep clean, washable and they ensure no matter what, your child’s mattress remains protected.

Tip 3. Speak to a naturopath

Your local naturopath might have some techniques or remedies you can use to help your child reduce the incidents of bed wetting. Some children are just such heavy sleepers, they sleep through everything and don’t even realise they’ve wet the bed until they wake up in the morning. If you have concerns speak to a professional for advice.

Tip 4. Purchase a bed-wetting alarm system

Your local Chemist may have a bed wetting alarm, or moisture sensor available to purchase. The system is placed into your child’s pyjamas and a buzzer will alert them at the first sign of moisture. The alarm is supposed to wake the child up so they can head to the toilet and finish things there instead of in bed. It can take a while to adjust, but they can be quite successful for a lot of children.

Tip 5. Use dry nights

Although using Dry Nights may only be recommended up to a certain age, when you’re dealing with nightly wet beds and constant sheet washing it might be the only thing that maintains your sanity. It’s preferable to get your child into a good habit of waking up and going to the toilet during the night if they need to, however, when you have tried everything and nothing is successful this might be an option that will keep you going at least until you’re ready to try again.

Tip 6. Don’t get upset and make a big deal out of it.

The worse thing to do is yell at or punish your child for wetting the bed. They don’t mean to do it, and by making a big deal out of it you can actually make the problem worse. The best thing to do is just clean up the mess and continue with the day without a second thought.

Tip 7. Don’t lose faith, they will grow out of it one day.

Do you know of any adults that wet the bed? The chance of your child continuing to wet their bed into adulthood is highly unlikely. They will most likely will grow out of it at some point during their teenage years. Every child is different in their development, so don’t compare one child to another, just know that one day you’ll look back and remember there was an issue, but you got through it together.

 

SASI Guest Parent Blogger

Image courtesy of pixabay.com